Radio Listening

6th District

SNAPSHOT
When it's time to redistrict congressional districts in Minnesota, the 6th District usually is the battleground. The last redistricting — 2002 — was no exception as a large block of the 7th and 2nd Districts were awarded to the 6th, dramatically changing the politics in the district. Before redistricting, faster growing Eastern suburbs such as Woodbury and Oakdale — which tended to be somewhat Republican — vied with some established DFL-leaning northern suburbs. But with the addition of cities around the St. Cloud area, most every candidate concentrated on these more-conservative, voter-rich areas. In 2002, incumbent, pro-choice Rep. Bill Luther didn't bother to run for re-election, moving into the 2nd instead. Republican Mark Kennedy, who had been in the 2nd, fairly easily beat Oak Park Heights DFLer Janet Roberts 57-to-35 percent, and then showed the power of the northwestern region by setting up his district offices in Buffalo, Hugo, and St. Cloud, ignoring the suburbs that were in the 6th District to begin with. Demographically, however, the district has the same face: former farm fields turn into subdivisions. It heavily supported Sen. Norm Coleman and Gov. Tim Pawlenty — both Republicans — in 2002.

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Patty Wetterling and Elwyn Tinklenberg both want to grab Mark Kennedy's House seat for the Democratic Party. They make their cases to the voters in Minnesota's 6th Congressional District.
(Midday,
05/10/2006)

Bachmann easily won the endorsement contest Saturday in Monticello and is looking ahead to the November election. Her three challengers say they are sticking to their pledge not to run in a primary.
(05/06/2006)

Just ahead of a due date for property tax
payments - and just weeks before the fall election - rebate checks
averaging $205 would begin arriving in the mailboxes of homeowners
if House Republican lawmakers get their way.
(04/10/2006)

There's always some politics in every policy debate at the Legislature. Republican Reps. Phil Krinkie and Jim Knoblach are taking that to a higher level at the Capitol, because they're running against each other for the same Congressional seat. Some say they're trying to "out-conservatize" each other.
(04/07/2006)

Even though the Legislature doesn't have a budget to balance this year, there are a number of tax-related proposals on the table, including eliminating the so-called marriage penalty, raising the state sales tax and the increasing the income tax.
(Midday,
04/06/2006)

Ending more than a year of gridlock, a Senate committee today finally held a hearing on -- and then voted down -- a controversial bill that would put the definition of marriage on November's ballot as an amendment to the state constitution.
(04/04/2006)

Jacob Wetterling Foundation officials say they've been considering the name change for several years, but one board member says Patty Wetterling's political campaign is also playing a role in the possible change.
(03/10/2006)

Supporters of a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage in Minnesota are going to have a tougher time getting the measure on the ballot next November. They've lost two critical votes in the Minnesota Senate in recent special elections.
(12/28/2005)

A state lawmaker wants Minneapolis and St.
Paul police to be able to question people at random about their immigration status. Rep. Jim Knoblach says
he plans to introduce a bill that would strip the cities of their
ordinances that limit enforcement of immigration laws. He talked with All Things Considered host Tom Crann.
(12/14/2005)